Blessing in Disguise
by BacktraF
Summary: Berwald is constantly avoided and feared by everyone. That is, until one day, when a blind man named Tino runs into him, literally. SuFin. Human AU.
1. Encounter

Chapter 1: Encounter

Berwald, a tall Swedish man, had a way of making people nervous. His face seemed to be in permanent scowl mode, and, since he was tall, he scared everyone around him. It's not like he meant to, though. He just didn't have good social skills. However, he didn't used to be like this. He was short when he was in 9th grade and no one thought that he would ever grow much taller. Because of this, he was picked on constantly at school and had very few friends. Two years later he had a growth spurt that lasted until he was taller than every kid in school. Now they picked on him even more, for being a 'freak of nature.'

Because of his private personality, he never told the teachers or his parents, causing him to slowly sink into depression. One day, a teacher saw a kid throwing names and other insults at Berwald. When his parents were told about what was happening, they pulled him from school and began to home school him. They rarely ever let him go outside, causing the already socially awkward boy to become even more so. Eventually, when he moved out, he noticed that he scared many people.

He moved into an apartment not long after, and found it difficult to live around people who never wanted to hang around him. Depression began to catch up with him again, so he rarely went out. One day, he lost his key to his room and went to go talk with the manager about getting a replacement. 'Oh joy,' was his first thought. As he waited for the key, a man, escorted by an older man, came in. The younger was wearing sun glasses, which Berwald thought was weird. It wasn't that bright outside.

"Here you are, s-sir." The nervous manager said, coming out of the back room and handing Berwald his key. When the manager saw the other two behind the tall scary man, he immediately swiched gears and became sickeningly happy. "Hello there!"

"Hello, I'm here to get my son a place to stay."

The manager gave a weird look to the father but his smile came back instantly. "Of course! You're the guy who called about you son being blind."

The father rolled his eyes. "Yes and let's announce it to the whole world."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Okay, Tin-..."Berwald didn't here the rest of the conversation because the door shut behind him. He went back up to his room to be alone once more.

Two months passed, and on this particular day, Berwald left the safe confines of his home. As usual, he was given weird looks and people would edge away in a not-so-subtle manner, as if he had a horrible disease. He knew that he was tall and had a scary face, but that didn't mean he didn't have feelings. Stuffing his hands into his coat pockets, he tried to ignore the stares and continue with his mission: grocery shopping. As easy as it might sound, it wasn't for him. Whenever he went, the cashier would have a hard time focusing on the checking out the items. Instead he seemed to entranced by his scariness. After a while, the tall man became impatient.

" 'scuse me," Berwald said with his Swedish voice.

"Huh?" The man looked scared that Berwald had spoken to him.

"I need t' g't goin'."

"Oh... right." The cashier turned back to the items and continued.

Berwald internally sighed and waited to pay. Once everything was bought and payed for, he left as quickly as he could. He didn't want to be in the presence of people who judged before they knew him. As he walked, he didn't notice a small man heading straight for him. He was too busy trying to ignore everyone around him. Before he knew it, he and the smaller man collided with a thump. Berwald was barely fazed by the encounter, but the other was on the ground in an instant.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" The man began with what sound like a Finnish accent.

Berwald didn't know what to say. Someone was talking to him voluntarily and this someone looked a little familiar. He looked over him carefully. The man had pale blonde hair and a sincere smile. He didn't seem to want to run away. This confused the tall man.

"Are you okay?" The man asked. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

Berwald would've laughed if he wasn't in a state of shock right now. Even thinking about the small man hurting him was almost too funny.

"No, m' f'ne," Berwald said, a little cautiously.

"That's good," said the man with a smile. All of a sudden his brow furrowed.

Berwald noticed this and assumed that the small man realized who he was talking to. He almost slapped himself for getting his hopes up. Then something strange happened. The man began to crawl around on the floor and pat his hands around him as if in search of something.

"Umm, could you help me?" The man asked.

Berwald was even more shocked, now. He couldn't find his voice to respond. The small Fin was still talking to him.

"Are you still there?"

'Am I still here? Of course I am...' Berwald thought to himself. "Uh, yeah..."

"Oh, that's good. I was afraid you left me. Anyway, could you help me? I dropped my walking stick."

Berwald just about facepalmed. Of course! The man was blind! Quickly, he scanned the floor and spotted the item that the man needed and quickly grabbed it, handing it to him. "Here."

"Thank you!" Said the man happily. He stood up and continued, extending his hand in the direction he thought Berwald was standing. "I'm Tino."

Berwald slowly took the small hand into his. " 'm Berw'ld."

"Well, it was nice to meet you Berwald." Tino let go of his hand and moved it over to his left wrist. He had a watch there. Lifting the cover to it, his fingers slowly traced the dial and 'felt' what time it was. "Oh, dear! I have to get going. Bye, Berwald."

Tino left, waving enthusiastically. Berwald was left there, in shock. Blind or not, someone actually talked to him. Inwardly, he smiled. Maybe there was hope for him.

A few days passed, but Berwald could not forget about Tino. His encounter mad him feel happy, but that slowly dissipated, because he began to see that it was probably only a once in a life time occurrence for him. No body wanted to be his friend. People only want to get away from him.

While he was sitting in his living room, one particularly lonely day, his phone rang. Answering it, he found that it was an automated message letting him know that his payment for rent was due in a week. He sighed and hung up before the message could finish. The manager was so scared of him that he wouldn't even talk to him over the phone. He needed an already recorded message to do that.

After a week, he decided that another trip to the store was nessecary so he put on his coat and walked the short distance. He got there, and as usual, no one would meet his eye, or stay around him for very long. As he walked through the isles, he accidentally bumped into someone.

" 'm s'rry." Berwald turned around to face the stranger. His eyes widened when he saw who it was. It was Tino.

"Hmm? Berwald, is that you?" Tino asked.

"Y-Yes." The big man stutter. He wasn't sure how to take this second encounter. "How'd y' know?"

"Oh, I never forget a voice," said the small blonde excitedly.

Berwald wasn't sure how to respond so he simply said, " 'kay."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, s'nothin'."

Tino didn't believe him, but he didn't press the matter, considering they were still strangers to each other. So instead he decided to talk about something else. "I don't think this second meeting is coincidence. I think it was meant to happen."

The Swede said nothing as Tino continued.

"You want to come over to my place?"

Berwald froze. They still didn't know anything about each other. The small Fin was blind and he was opening up his home to a complete stranger. "Umm."

"It's okay, if you don't want to. I just thought that I'd offer." His ever present smile was slowly disappearing.

This caused Berwald to think. The only person that accepts him just offered something. "Wait. 'll c'me over, but why're y' 'nvitin' me? We don't r'lly know each oth'r."

"Well I don't have many friends. People don't seem to want to be friends with a blind person, and besides. You sound like you could use a friend too." His smile came back. "So, I was just about to check out. Are you done shopping as well?"

"Yes." Berwald lied. He didn't want to stay here anymore, so he decided he was done.

"Okay, let's go." The Fin began walking towards the checkout.

Following, the Swede started to think. 'What am I doing?'

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Well this is the start of a beautiful friendship/romance. I think that SuFin has to be one of the cutest couples eva'! I added some more detail and reuploaded. Don't forget to review~!


	2. Scars

Chapter 2: Scars

Berwald followed Tino as they left the store. The Swede didn't know what the small blonde was going to do. Was he going to ride the bus or call a taxi? When Tino did neither and continued to walk instead, Berwald decided that he walked from here to the place where he lived.

"You still there?" Tino asked in a voice that expected no one to answer.

" 'm st'll here," came his answer.

Tino almost looked shocked, but it slowly faded into a smile as he reached over and felt for Berwald's hand. When he found it he grabbed on and didn't let go. The tall Swede blushed at the action, but made no attempt to pull away.

"I like you, Berwald. When ever I attempt to make a friend, they always disappear. And since I can't see, it's not difficult for them."

Berwald grunted his response. After they walked a couple of blocks, they came to an apartment building and Tino stopped.

"This is my place. I live on the third floor."

The tall man's eyes widened. This was the same apartment that he lived in. "I l've on th' f'rst floor."

"You live here too?"

Berwald nodded his head, but then remembered that the other was blind. He quickly correct himself and answered, "Yes."

"Oh wow! I'm surprised that we haven't run into each other before." Tino gave a big smile before tugging on Berwald's hand. "Well, come on. Let's get inside."

Once they were on the thrid floor and in the Fin's apartment, Tino told Berwald to sit while he went into the small kitchen to get something for them to drink. While Berwald was left alone on the couch, he looked around the small space. The was no TV, which didn't surprise him, but there was a small radio sitting on the side table. It was an older radio with knobs and dials instead of buttons. Reaching over, Berwald moved his hands across the almost antique item. A crash in the kitchen interrupted his thoughts. Jumping up, the Swede ran into the room to find Tino gripping his wrist, and his face contorted in pain.

"Are y' 'lright?" Berwald asked.

"I'm fine." Tino smiled. "That's what happens when you're blind. You're more clumsy."

Berwald helped the small Fin to his feet. Feeling brave he asked, "How'd it happ'n?"

"What?"

"How'd y' bec'me blind?"

Tino's eye's widened and sighed.

Berwald became nervous and tried to amend his nosiness. "S'rry if it's too pers'n'l."

"That's okay, it's just..." Tino trailed off and pulled Berwald out of the kitchen and to the couch where they both sat. "I had an abusive boyfriend."

Berwald stared at the small man and listened.

"He used to be really nice, and he proposed to me, but after that... I don't know. He just became violent. He would sometimes slap me when I made a small mistake, but it slowly turned from slaps to punches. Sometimes he would throw various items at me. One day, while he was working on the plumbing in our house, I came up to him and interrupted his work. He became frustrated and picked up a pipe that was lying on the floor next to him. He swung it at me and ended up hitting the back of my head really hard. I blacked out immediately, but when I came to, I opened my eyes to darkness."

Listening to the story set Berwald into thinking mode. All of a sudden he had the biggest urge to find the man who did this to Tino and make sure he suffered the same fate. He wanted to protect the small Fin from anymore danger.

Tino brought him out of him musings and spoke again. "Needless to say, he was arrested and sent to jail, but that didn't last long. He was out in two months because of some problem with the evidence not matching up with the story I gave them... I'm sorry, I shouldn't just dump my life's problems on you like that." Tino wiped his eyes as tears began to glisten from the corners.

" 's 'lright." Berwald slung his arm over Tino's shoulders and pulled him close. He didn't know why, but he felt that it was necessary.

Tino broke down and place his head in his hands. Berwald took the opportunity to look at the back of his head, where Tino said he was hit. A jagged scar peeked out from behind his short hair and made Berwald's blood boil.

"T'no, what's the guys name?"

"My ex-boyfriend? His name is, Ivan."

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I am so tired right now... It's almost 2 in the morning. *sigh* well it's time for me to get to sleep. Don't forget to review~! 


	3. Seeing

Chapter 3: Seeing

After they talked for a while, with Tino doing most of it, the Fin asked if he wanted to come over again. Berwald didn't know what to say. He never spent much time, if at all, with anyone.

"Hello?" Tino sounded a little worried.

"Uh... wh'n?"

"Hmm, how about tomorrow?"

"S're."

"Great! I'll see you later." Tino had on the biggest smile that Berwald had ever seen. As he turned to walk out the door, Tino called out to him. "Wait!"

The tall Swede turned around. "Yes?"

Tino's face turned red. "I-I was just wondering... may I... touch your face?"

Berwald wasn't sure that he heard the smaller man correctly. What did he mean by touch his face? Tino became increasingly nervous at the awkward silence and tried to explain why he had said that.

"I want to touch you face s-so I can know what y-you look like..."

That made more sense to the tall man. " 'kay."

The Fin visibly relaxed and extended his arms towards the Swede. His hands met Berwalds chest and slowly went up. Berwald blushed slightly and, grabbing the small hands, brought them to his face. Tino gave a small smile and let his hands roam. His finger traced Berwalds mouth and went higher. The hands felt the dip of closed eyes, lingering a moment so they could feel the soft flutter of the Swede's eyelids.

While the hands searched his face, Berwald enjoyed the touch. No one had ever touched him like this before. It felt as though his whole body was on fire, and all because of this stranger's hands. The hands left his eyes and moved to the bridge of his nose, and slowly, both hands passed both cheeks and came his ears. They lightly grabbed the ears and the fingers felt the dips and curves. Finally, after a breathless eternity, Tino spoke.

"You're beautiful..." he gasped.

Berwald felt his heart seize at those words. He was beautiful? How was that possible? Everyone avoided him as though he were a monster.

"S'not poss'ble."

"Why isn't that possible?"

" 'cause 'm a monst'r."

"How are you a monster?"

"No 'ne likes t' be 'round me."

Tino's sightless gaze became one of shock and concern for his new friend. "Why would people not want to be around you?"

" 'cause I look rep'ls've."

"Wha-? W-Who told you that?"

"A k'd 'n school, wh'n I w's young'r."

"Well that kid was wrong. I swear to you that you are absolutely the most beautiful person I have ever seen." Tino's smile was back.

The corner of Berwald's mouth curved up slightly, in a smile as a blush tinted his cheeks. "Th'nk y'."

Tino wrapped his arms around the tall man and gave him a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

" 'kay." And with that, Berwald left and went to the first floor, to his own room. As he continued, he bumped into an equally tall man holding a sunflower.

"I am sorry," said the man with a creepy smile. "Are you okay?"

"M' fine," resonded Berwald.

"That is good, da?"

Berwald simply nodded and continued to his room. 'That was a strange man,' the Swede thought. Shaking it off he went about the rest of his day in the quiet confines of his apartment.

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So yeah, I love writing this story almost as much as my PruCan story ^^ I hope the chapter title wasn't deceptive. Don't forget to review~!


	4. Surprise

Chapter 4: Surprise

Tino heard a knock at his door. After he stood and grabbed his cane, he walked to the door and slowly opened it.

"Hello?" The small Fin called out. No answer came. He took a small step forward and extended his arms. His foot ran into something on the floor. Stooping he grabbed the object and ran his hands up and down it's long, thin body. It felt slightly rough and soon his hand came to a widening part. He lightly ran his hand over something soft. It felt like petals of some kind of flower. It was a big flower. His other hand resumed sliding down the other end.

It came across a peice of paper. Cursious, Tino pulled of the small card and opened it. He wasn't expecting to read any markings, but he also wasn't expecting the note to be in brail. His fingers ran over the raised dots and read the message.

'Come back to me, my sunflower.

Love,  
>Ivan'<p>

Tino dropped the note in horror. Quickly, he stepped back into his apartment and closed the door. Sinking to the floor, he wrapped his arms around his legs and buried his face.

"How did he find me?"

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Berwald waited anxiously for the day to be over, but as fate would have it, it dragged on longer than he would have ever thought possible. Sitting in a chair, he tried to pass the time by reading or watching TV. All that was on TV was a couple of spanish soap operas and infomercials displaying cleaning supplies and snuggies. The Swede sighed and stood from the chair. He decided to grab something small to eat to satisfy his craving. What he craved, however, wasn't food, but the attention of the Fin on the third floor.

After getting the food he headed back to his chair when someone knocked at the door. Berwald set down the meal and walked towards the door, a little confused. Since when had anyone willingly come to him to talk? Maybe they had the wrong room. That was it! They had the wrong room, and Berwald would just have to tell them where to go.

When he opened the door, however, it wasn't a lost person who had the wrong apartment number, it was Tino. Berwald stared at him in shock.

"T'no? Wh't 're y' doin' here?"

Tino was trembling all over and had obviously been crying for a while. "M-May I s-stay here for t-tonight?"

Berwald simply stood there, unable to figure out why the Fin would want to spend the night with him. Shaking himself free from the thoughts, he asked, "Why?"

"I-Ivan found out where I l-live. He gave m-me a sunflower and a card s-saying that h-he wanted me back..." Tino trailed off and began to cry again.

"D'n't cry. Y' c'n stay if y' w'nt."

Tino felt extremely tried all of a sudden, and fell foward. Berwald was quick and caught the small man by his arms and helped him inside. He laid his guest on the couch and grabbed some blankets to give him. When he was about to leave the room, Tino realized this and panicked.

"Wait, Berwald. Please don't leave me."

Berwald's heart sunk at the sound of his friend's desperate plea, so he sat next to him and pulled him close. "Y' 'kay?"

Tino's arms slid around the Swede's waist and pulled him closer. A smile grace his lips. "I'm better."

Berwald blushed and looked away from the Fin. He couldn't keep his gaze away for long, though. Looking back he realized how cute Tino was. One side of the tall Swede's mouth curved up ever so slightly. He didn't deserve this attention, this love, from one so nice. Tino was soon asleep in Berwalds arms who also found himself drifting off. That is, until it hit him. Sunflower?

The Swede jolted awake, and remembered the tall Russian who walked down the hall holding a sunflower. He slapped his forehead. How could he have not noticed this before? How could he not've know. Looking back at Tino, he swore to himself to always protect the small man. And with that, he fell asleep with the Fin next to him.

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Tino woke up to the smell of something cooking. Something that smelled delicious. Sitting up, he reached out for his walker, but found that it was missing. He stood and extended his arms, waving them around to avoid running in to anything. That was easier said than done. He kept bumping into various items, such as the table and a couple of shelves. He realized that he wasn't in his apartment. At that, he began to panic.

"H-Hello?" Tino called out nervously.

Berwald came out of the kitchen. "G'mornin', T'no."

Tino's eyes widened and then he remembered that he came over to Berwald's last night. He chuckled. "Good morning, Berwald."

"I m'de s'me breakf'st... If y' w'nt s'me."

"Yes, I'll take something to eat."

Berwald placed a Swedish dish in front of the small man, and Tino dug in.

"This is delicious, Berwald!" Tino said in between bites.

The Swede blushed at the compliment and sat down with his own meal. "Th'nks."

Tino smiled and turned back to his meal. Berwald decided that this was the best day in his entire life.

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So, just to let you know, you guys haven't seen the last of Ivan... That was your warning, but don't worry. Everything turns out happy in the end. I promise. Anyway, don't forget to review~!


	5. Threats

Chapter 5: Threats

Because of what happened last night, Berwald stayed with Tino the entire day. No sign of Ivan was found anywhere and the Swede was beginning to think that maybe he had decided to leave Tino alone. The Fin was doing better now as well. His mind never strayed to that particular Russian who made his life miserable. By now it was getting close to lunch time, so they decided (well actually, Tino decided, because if it were up to Berwald he never would've left the apartment) to go to a small restaurant. Berwald followed reluctantly. When they arrived the waiter, who was supposed to show them to their table, couldn't stop stuttering like a fool.

"I-I, w-will be y-your s-server today," the waiter managed to get out.

Berwald's brow furrowed in annoyance. This, however, only caused the waiter to be afraid even more.

"Please d-don't hurt m-me!"

"Is something wrong?" Tino asked, worried.

Berwald felt the beginning of tears threaten to break through, but he held them back. No one had ever begged him not to hurt them before. "No, n'thin's wr'ng."

Tino's look of concern didn't leave his face, but he didn't ask anymore. They were shown to their table and multiple people gave them strange and nervous looks. Many wondered how Tino could be around someone like Berwald. Others couldn't care less about the small Fin and were more worried about getting out alive. The whispers caught Tino's attention and he realized that they were talking about Berwald. The Swede, meanwhile, was busy trying to block out the hurtful talk and focus on his food.

"Berwald?" Tino called out finally.

"Hmm?"

"We can leave if you want."

"No, s'kay. Y' w'nted to c'me h're."

"Berwald, it can't be good to listen to these horrible whispers. Let's go home." Tino show his soft, warm smile and stood.

" 'kay..." Berwald stood as well and guided Tino to his car so they could go back to his apartment. When they arrived Berwald began to forget about the people at the restaurant. That is, until Tino brought it up.

"What was going on in the restaurant? Why were people whispering things about you."

Berwald was shocked. First, no one had ever shown concern about what happened to him before. Second, he was just getting over it and was hoping that the subject would be left alone. The tall man looked down in shame.

"P'ple 're sc'red 'f me." Berwald answered slowly.

"You're not scary. You're very nice!" Tino smile was sincere.

"Y' c'n't see me."

"That's good. It helps me not to judge people before I know them."

Berwald smiled and wiped his eyes as tears began to break through. Tino heard the almost silent sobs and pulled the giant into a hug.

"I've never met someone like you, Berwald." Tino swallowed nervously and continued. "I think I might l-love you."

The Swede couldn't believe what he just heard. How could someone love him? Berwald looked at the Fin who had his arms wrapped around him. It was then that he realized that he also loved Tino.

"I l've y' too."

Tino's smile grew bigger, if that was even possible, and hugged him tighter. "Never leave me, Berwald."

"N'ver." Berwald kissed Tino's forehead. After staying for a little longer, Tino left for the third floor, leaving Berwald feeling better than he had ever felt. As he walked through his small apartment, just before he went to bed for the night, he saw a note sitting on the floor just inside the door. Thinking that someone must've slid it under the door, Berwald picked it up and opened it. He almost dropped the note when he read the contents.

'Stay away from my Tino, da?

Ivan'

Berwald crumpled the note and clenched his fists in anger. No one was going to threaten him.

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Ivan is sending out threats! This can mean only one thing. Berwald and Tino need to watch out! Either that or Berwald needs to kick some Russian butt... Anyway, Don't forget to review~!


	6. Danger

Chapter 6: Danger

Berwald ran to the third floor and knocked harshly on Tino's door. The door creaked open revealing a slightly frightened Fin. Berwald felt guilt shoot threw him as he realized that he must've scared the poor man.

"H-Hello?" Tino asked shyly.

"S'rry f'r scarin' y'," Berwald answered.

Tino visibly relaxed and smiled. "Oh, it's just you Berwald. are you okay? You seemed to be knocking pretty hard."

"J'st w'nted t' m'ke s're y' were alr'ght." Berwald didn't want to tell him about the note, afraid that he would scared the Fin even more.

"I'm fine. After being blind for a few years, you learn to get around." Tino smiled. "Did you want to come in?"

"No, 'm f'ne. J'st ch'ckin' on y'."

"Okay, well good night."

"N'ght." Berwald remained standing there, even after Tino had closed the door. Finally, after a few minutes, he turned and walked back to his room. Unknown to him, Ivan was watching him, hatching a wonderous plan to get Tino back and make sure that Berwald stayed away.

The tall Swede sighed once he stepped back into his room. He shouldn't have freaked out like that, there was no reason to. He was sure that the note was just an empty threat and that the Russian would leave them alone. Heaving another sigh, he sat down in his armchair and willed him self to calm down. Nothing was going to happen and they would both be fine. Deep down, however, the Swede was still concerned and no amount of deep breaths would change that.

He decided that he should probably head off to bed and get a good long rest. He hoped that sleeping would clear his head to help him figure out what to do. Slowly his mind drifted off until a soft clicking noise roused him. He wondered when he had fallen asleep. Looking out of his window, he saw the sun shining through. He got up from his bed and walked to the door to find a letter on the floor. Immediatly he figured that the letter was pushed through the mail slot and that was what made the clicking noise. Stooping, the blonde grabbed the piece of paper from the floor and unfolded it. What he read nearly made his heart stop.

'Dear Berwald,

I had the man at the desk write this for me, but I just wanted to say that we shouldn't see each other anymore. Since Ivan has come back, I've decided to go back to him. I'm sure he has changed and I'm willing to give him a second chance. I'm sorry for not telling you this face to face, but I think it would be better if I just wrote it out. Please don't come up to check on me. I'm fine.

Sincerely,  
>Tino'<p>

Berwald stared at the note, almost not understanding it's contents. What did he mean that he didn't want to see him again? He just saw him yesterday and he wasn't acting as though he wanted to be left alone. Without a second thought, he left his room and ran upstairs to Tino's room and raised his hand to knock. His hand hovered there for a second before dropping back to his side. He didn't want Tino to be angry at him for not listening to his note. Slowly he turned back around and went back to his room, shutting himself in there. Tears began to pour from his eyes as soon as he was sure that no one was looking.

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Ivan smiled happily as he approached Berwalds door. He pulled a note from his pocket and slipped it through the mail slot, before quickly turning around and going upstairs to his Sunflower. Once he stood in front of the door, he gave a quick knock. Tino opened the door smiling brightly.

"Berwald?" Tino asked hopefully.

"No, it is Ivan, my Sunflower." Ivan pushed his way in before the Fin could stop him.

"Ivan, what are you doing? Get...mfhg!" Ivan covered Tino's mouth, quickly pulling him inside while he closed the door.

"Shh. We don't want to cause a scene now, do we?"

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Yes this chapter is short, but atleast I updated, right? Right? Don't forget to review~!


	7. Rescue

Chapter 7: Rescue

Berwald sat on his couch with his head in his hands. The tears just wouldn't stop. He had made an attachment that was just ripped away from him. No one had ever shown interest in him before, so naturally he became attached to the small Fin. Evidently, Tino felt that going back to his ex-boyfriend would be the best idea for the both of them.

'How can that be?' Berwald thought to himself. 'His ex is abusive. Why would he even want to go back?'

The Swede looked to the table where the note lay along with Ivan's threat. Picking up the letter he just received, he examine it, hoping that he had misread it some how. Nothing jumped out at him and he sighed tossing the paper back onto the table. Then something clicked in his head. Quickly, he dived for the note again and looked at the words. Something seemed strikingly familiar about the way the letters swooped and curved in the beautifully writen cursive. Turning to Ivan's threat, he picked it up as well and looked at it.

Sure enough the writing was almost identical, imitating the same flourishes in certain letters. He was no expert, but even a child could figure out that the same person wrote both letters. Berwald jumped off the couch and, for the second time that day, he ran up to Tino's room. He was about to knock when he heard struggling on the otherside. The tall man's heart clenched tightly in his chest, making it almost difficult to breathe. Deciding that it was best to call the police before he entered, he dialed 9-1-1 and told them of the situation.

Once he hung up, he reached out and twisted the knob. It was unlocked. He stepped inside closed the door behind him, quietly. Quickly, but without making a sound he stepped into the living area and saw Ivan hovering over Tino and pinning his arms, with one hand, above his head on the couch. His other hand was clamped firmly over his mouth to prevent him from making any noise. Tears poured out of the Fin's eyes, fearing that his ex was going to rape him.

"Shh, the struggling will only make it worse for you," Ivan said calmly.

"Nfm... mgh!" It was the only noise Tino could make.

Berwald clenched his fists and stomped over to the Russian. "Y' b'st'rd! G't 'ff of h'm!" The Swede grabbed the back of Ivan's coat, effectively ripping him off of the small man, who was now shivering on the couch with fear.

"Berwald!" Tino nearly screamed with joy. He held his left wrist, which was beginning to bruise, with his hand.

"How did you figure out that I wrote the note?" Ivan asked coldly.

"M'ybe y' sh'uld learn h'w t' write 'n a d'ffer'nt f'rm."

Ivan's smile returned. "Ah, a stupid mistake on my part. However, I shall have Tino and you will not stop me, da?"

"No," was Berwald's simple answer.

The pale blonde scowled and pulled a pipe from his from his coat. "I wish you could see this pipe, Tino. It holds so much memories considering it's the one that caused your blindness."

The Fin visibly paled at those words as he tried to sink farther into the couch. Cold, raw fury shown in Berwald's eyes as he took a menacing step towards the Russian. Ivan simply smiled and rose the weapon above his head. Berwald saw where this was going and immediatly jumped out of the way, leaving the pipe to hit the coffee table. A nice sized dent now decorated it's wooden surface. The Swede cringed and made himself promise to replace the table.

"Ivan, stop it!" Tino stood from his place on the couch. "You're going to hurt someone!"

"That is the whole point, da?"

"No, I thought you came here to get me to go with you."

"Well that too." Ivan scratched the side of his head and looked over to Berwald who was currently looking for something that could be used as a weapon. He grabbed a folding chair that was currently leaning against the wall, and made his way back towards Ivan. The latter saw this and grabbed for Tino, using him as a shield. "Ah, ah, ah."

Berwald stopped his advance, waiting for something to happen, hoping that the something would be in his favor. Not a moment later, Tino began to struggle.

"Let me go Ivan!" Tino squirmed and tried to throw his elbow as hard as he could into the man's stomach.

"Fine, my little Sunflower doesn't want me, then I don't want him!" And with that, Ivan tossed the Fin backwards causing the small man to trip and hit the end table with the back of his head. After he crumpled to the floor, he didn't move.

"Tino!" Berwald called out, but no response was given. This was going to be more difficult than he originally thought.

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So... yes I know it's another short chapter, but... yeah I really don't have a good excuse. Please forgive me! Anyway, don't forget to review~!


	8. Hospital

Chapter 8: Hospital

Berwald stood there, not sure what he should do. Tino had hit the table pretty hard and wasn't moving. What if he had a concusion? What if he would never wake up? What if he was dead? All these questions and more ran through the Swede's head while Ivan seemed to be equally as shocked at what he had done.

"Oh no, I did not mean for my little one to hit his head!" Ivan quickly bent over Tino and tried to pick him up.

That seemed to bring Berwald back to reality, because right then, his face resumed it's terrifying glare as he jumped at the Russian. "G't yer h'nds 'ff of h'm!" Once again, the blonde grabbed Ivan's coat and yanked him away from the Fin. He balled his fist and swung at the man's face as hard as he could. Even when he felt it connect with his face, he still didn't feel that Tino had his justice. Ivan stumbled backwards, but caught himself before he fell all the way to the floor. Berwald immeditaly forgot about him and ran to the Fin's side, checking to see if he was still alive.

Ivan didn't like to be ignored, plus he had to repay the other for the blossuming bruise on his cheek. Gripping his pipe tightly, he turned to the Swede and swung it as hard as he could. Berwald, who had never been one to think things through very well, besides the fact that he was concerned for Tino, never saw the pipe coming at him. It hit his side with a sickening crack, knocking the air clean from his lungs. The Swede struggled to draw breath and felt as though he were suffocating. His attempt was cut short as Ivan threw his foot down onto his gut, and black dots burst into his vision. Berwald could taste the coppery tang of his blood that had begun to coat the inside of his mouth.

After a few more moments of being unable to breathe, he inhaled shakily and coughed harshly. Specks of blood flew from his mouth. He struggled onto his feet and turned to the other sloppily. The Russian sneered and grabbed the front of the man's shirt, tossing him back effortlessly over the back of the couch. He tumbled over the back of the small piece of furniture and hit the floor unceremoniously. His head pounded with an approaching headache as a groan escaped his lips.

"Come on, my Sunflower. I did not mean to hurt you. I still love you," Ivan began whispering as he slipped his arms under the small Fin's knees and back, picking him up bridal style.

Berwald gripped the back of the sofa and stood once again, this time spurred by the thoughts of never seeing Tino again. "St'p," he yelled weakly. Blinking his eyes, he tried to focus, but instead made his head spin. He stumbled to his side and received a chuckle from Ivan.

"You can barely stand. What makes you think you can take Tino back?"

Berwald didn't respond, but instead just stood there with a hazy look in his eye, as though he were trying to keep from passing out. Ivan chuckled again and turned around only to have the police nearly knock the door down.

"Freeze!" Yelled the officer closest to him.

Ivan nearly dropped Tino in his surprise.

"Set the man down, slowly, and keep your hands visible."

A scowl grew on the pale blonde's features as he realized that Berwald had to have called the police before he tried to brave him all by himself. He complied, and set the Fin down on the floor before an officer grabbed his hand and cuffed both wrists behind him. He was taken out of the room quickly and right after, paramedics ran in to tend to the unconsious man.

" 's he g'in' t' be alr'ght?" Berwald asked suddenly, alerting everyone to him presence.

A man walked up to him and shined a light into both of his eyes. "Sir are you alright?"

The Swede simply stared at him, trying to piece the words together into a sentence, but failing. Before he knew it, he was led to a waiting gurney and laid down onto it. He wasn't sure what was going on, so he followed the orders given to him. Slowly, despite the encouragements to stay awake, he closed his eye and fell into a restless sleep.

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Berwald's eyes shot open and he shot up in bed. He soon found out that that was a bad idea as a wave of pain ran through his head. He clutched the side of his throbbing head in a vain attempt to stop the feeling that was flooding his senses. Slowly, his surroundings caught up to him, and he realized that he was lying in a bed with light blue sheets and a white blanket. The walls were mostly white, with a strange, curving pattern decorating it. The first thought that came to his mind: Hospital.

His hand jerked forward to grab the blankets to uncover himself when he found an IV stuck in his hand, restraining him slightly. He pulled it from its place and tried to stand up from the bed. After stumbling slightly, he found his composure and it finally dawned on him that he was wearing a hospital gown. Quickly, his eyes search for his clothes and he found them sitting on a chair in the corner, neatly folded. Pushing aside the fact that his head was spinning from the exersion, he grabbed the clothes and was about to change when the doctor walked in.

"Whoa, and where do you think you going?"

Berwald stared at the man before saying, "I need t' see T'no."

"Oh you mean that small man that came in with you? He's currently in ICU."

The Swede's eyes widened. " 's he alr'ght?"

"We aren't sure, he still has yet to wake up. But you need to lay back down. You have two broken ribs and some internal bleeding. I'll be damned if I let you walk around without being fully healed first."

Berwald let himself be led back to the bed, wordlessly. He was currently too shocked for words.

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Yay...~! Yeah... I'm a little tired... but yeah... Don't forget to review~!


	9. Epilogue

Chapter 9: Epilogue

Tino's eyes flew open as he breathe raggedly and quickly. His head turned swiftly in all directions as if looking for something, though he quickly remembed he was blind. The small man laid back and felt around himself. There were wires and various tubes connecting him to different machines and it dawned on him. "I'm in a hospital."

He racked his brain, trying to remember why he was there and his mind srung to Ivan. He shuddered at the thought and tried to shift his thoughts else where and ended up going to Berwald. A small smiled graced his lips as his mind went to his new lover, but it slowly disappeared when he remembered what had happened. His blind eyes held an expression of horror and fear. He began to unhook himself from the many machines, vaguely hearing the sound of a heart monitor flatline. The blonde jumped from the bed and tried to steady himself with little luck. A wave of dizziness came over him as doctors and nurses rushed in, thinking him dead.

"Sir, calm down!" One of the doctors yelled, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Tino stopped moving at the sound of his voice, but ended up collapsing as a result. His hands shot out to stop his fall, but strong arms wrapped themselves around him instead.

"T'no, are ya okay?"

"Berwald?" Tino almost couldn't believe his ears.

"Ja, it's me." Berwald assured him.

"Mr. Oxensterna! You are still not well enough to be rushing to anyone's aid!" A doctor said strictly, repremanding the tall blonde.

" 'm sorry..." Berwald let Tino be taken away from him and led back to the bed.

"Berwald, you won't leave, will you?" Tino's voice was tinged lightly with fear and anxiety.

"No, I won't leave." He said calmly, though he glared at the doctor who was was about to protest. The man immediately backed off, a terrified look on his face, and left the room. Berwald sat beside the bed and took tino's hand, bringing it to his face. He teared up as he brought the small hand to his cheek. " 'm sorry, T'no..."

"Berwald?" Tino frowned and carassed the others face. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I couldn't protect ya."

"Couldn't protect me? What are you talking about? If I'm in the hospital, then you obviosly did." Tino smiled in the others direction before giving a small frown. His eyes filled with tears as he spoke. "You're so beautiful..."

Berwald blushedand looked at his hands. "How do ya know? I scare everyone."

"Berwald, we already went through this. Besides, when Ivan threw me backwards and I hit the back of my head..." Tino took a deep breath, tearing up more. "I got a brief glimpse of your face. I don't know how, but I could see again, thought only temporarily, and when I saw your face, I was content to never see again."

The tall man stared at him, confused. "How could ya 've seen me?"

"I told you, I don't know how, but to prove it, you have beautiful blonde hair, though it is a little unkempt, striking blue eyes and a gaze... that was deep and meaningful. If I didn't know you better, I might've been frightened by it." He smiled as he finished, tears still in his eyes.

"How did ya get all that fr'm only a couple ah seconds?"

"Being blind has made me observant and all I needed was a couple of seconds, especially if sight was involved." Tino explained softly, extending his hands, hoping Berwald would come closer. He seemed to have gotten farther away from him as he was explaining.

Berwald's gaze softened and he took the others hands, kissing both of them softly. "As long as yer happy."

"I could never be happier." Tino smiled as a blush warmed his cheeks.

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Done! I know it's been forever and I'm only giving you this much... But my brain died... and it's the end of the story. :( But on the bright side, I'm still working on all my other stories, but I'm looking for a job atm so it still might be a while. Don't fret and don't forget to leave a review~!


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